


The Return of Mama Press

by ellaaa25



Series: Staying Strong [5]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Adorable, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Return
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-11-02 02:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20590856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellaaa25/pseuds/ellaaa25
Summary: It is Christens first match back with the USWNT after having the boys





	The Return of Mama Press

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy!   
I don't own anything except the mistakes, which there are probably heaps

** June 12th 2018**

Christen wasn’t nervous perse. Worried, anxious and potentially feeling like she wasn’t ready, she definitely was. She was sitting in the hotel room by herself because Tobin had taken the boys out for a walk with Kelley, Carli and Ali.

It was her first game back and Jill was starting her. Tobin was coming off of the bench and they were hoping to be on the field at the same time. Christen had been working out since January to get back to the squad, and Tobin had been right there by her side whenever she could.

Christen thought back to the only time she wasn’t was when she had to travel for USA camps when the boys were under two months old.

* * *

_Flashback:_

It was Tobin’s first camp back and Christen wouldn’t take the boys for that long of a journey because they both felt they were too young. According to Sonnett, Tobin was a complete grump when she was away from her family and spent the whole time looking at pictures of them on her phone.

Jill made it through half of the first camp and couldn’t to handle the grumpy Tobin. She organised with the staff a schedule so they could help Christen out. They chartered a private plane to get her and the boys out to the game in Orlando but didn’t tell Tobin. It was going to be Tobin’s first game since she took leave the previous July. They let Christen watch her grumpy wife warm up and ignore half the team. She was giggling at her antics. Her wife, the mama to her children, was actually pouting while playing football.

Jill pulled Tobin out of the warmup and asked her what was wrong, well aware of the issue. Tobin just sighed. “I miss my kids and Christen. They are only 6 weeks old, I need to be there with them.” Jill put her arm around the midfielder and spun her around.

“I figured that was the issue.” She left her there gaping at the sight of her wife and the stroller with her boys in it standing in the tunnel. Tobin ran over there and hugged her wife tight, before giving each of the boys a big kiss on the head. The three boys were in Heath 17 onesies and Christen was wearing her jersey. She perked up immediately but was sent back out to warmup with a promise that she would see them after the game.

Christen got the boys settled in the family box with a few of the other spouses and kids. They all helped her out during the game if she needed it and they were thankful.

It was about 30 minutes into the first half when Christen spotted herself on the big screen. She was holding Evan while Michael and Alexander were still napping in the stroller. Christen waved to the crowd and then to her wife. The crowd awed before they got back to the match. The rest of the team on the field yelled at Tobin for not telling them she was here and that she had brought the boys.

Tobin scored in the 34th minute and immediately ran as close to the family box as she could get. Christen was cheering and smiling widely, the exchange caught on tape. The US went into halftime 1-0 up and Tobin was leading them from the front.

Tobin scored again before the 50th minute and set up Lindsey to make it 3-0 with 20 minutes to go. She was subbed out of the game with 10 minutes left and Christen made her way down to the tunnel so she could be with Tobin after the game. The boys had woken up and were enraptured by all the new sights and sounds. The whistle blew and security escorted Christen to the edge of the tunnel. She waited until Tobin was done shaking hands and was just talking and joking with Alex, Ali and Ashlyn before she made her way out. The crowd started cheering again, and the group of four turned to see what the commotion was.

They saw Christen standing there with three babies in the stroller before they ran over to hug her. Alex stole Alexander, Ashlyn was cooing over Michael in Ali’s arms and Tobin had picked up Evan and was holding him tight. The group refused to hand over the babies even when the rest of the team came over for cuddles. It turned into a game of who could keep the baby the longest. Tobin never went without a baby in her arms, always stealing one back if her teammates took away one her boys.

Christen tucked herself into Tobin’s side. “Good to be back?” She asked.

Tobin shrugged. “Yea, but this” she gestured to their friends and family. “This is better. I was miserable without you guys around.”

Christen chuckled. “So I’ve heard. Why do you think I am here?”

“To surprise me?” She asked hopefully.

Christen shook her head. “Your coach and teammates couldn’t deal with grumpy Tobin. They called me and we organised a way for me to have a bit of help with the boys while you are in camp. Besides, they want me to catch up on tactics, get back into shape and hopefully return by the middle of the year.”

Tobin was surprised and handed Alexander off to Becky before she turned and to look at Christen’s face. “Are you saying that you are going to be in camp? With the boys?”

Christen nodded. “And I spoke to Mark. He is happy for me to re-join the Thorns as well. The Thorns and the USWNT will do everything they can to keep our family together and put us both back on the pitch.”

Tobin whooped and picked Christen up, spinning her around. Christen just laughed at her wife’s antics. Eventually she was put down and everyone was asking what was going on. Tobin just stole the phone off the guy who was updating the USWNT Instagram story and started to record Christen. “Babe, tell them what you just told me.” Tobin couldn’t stand still, and it was taking all of her energy to keep the camera focused on her wife.

Christen just rolled her eyes before smiling at the camera. “There won’t just be one member of the Heath-Press family in National Camp. There will be 5. The triplets and I are coming to camp. Tobin was too grumpy when we weren’t around. I am looking forward to getting back into it and the boys are going to be happy both their Mama and Mum will be around. Be ready for lots of cute photos and videos of Tobin and the boys, they have her wrapped around their tiny fingers.” Tobin laughed and threw the phone to the staff member she had stolen it from before hugging her wife again. The rest of the National Team joined and the group hug went on the story as well.

Tobin and Christen eventually got out of the hug and got their kids back before they went for a walk around the field with the team. They waved to the fans as they went before the family of five sat down in the middle of the field and just reflected.

_End Flashback:_

* * *

Christen was pulled out of her thoughts and memories when the door opened. Tobin came in with the boys and Carli. She got off the bed and went to pick up Michael from the stroller and held him close. The boys weren’t identical, but they all looked like Christen. They had her colouring and her crazy curls. There was no doubt they were her sons.

They had started sleeping through the night at the 5 month mark, but not every night and not all of them. Evan was the best one at sleeping through the night, only waking up every 3 to 4 days. Alexander was up every other night and Michael liked to wake just as they had gotten his brothers back to sleep.

Christen sat down with the 6 month old on her lap and asked Tobin to hand her the other two as well. Carli could see it was time for her to go so she left and quietly made sure the rest of the girls let the family be. The Heath-Press family rarely went half a day without someone bugging them to cuddle the kids. What was good though was that they had 21 eager babysitters if they ever did want an afternoon to themselves while at camp. There were some rules and guidelines. Kelley was not allowed to babysit without Carli’s supervision and anyone who was under the age of 26 had to have a second person there with them. So if Rose, Sam and Emily wanted to babysit together, three of the older players had to be around as well. It was never an issue because the god mothers always wanted to spend time with the boys.

The family snuggled up together and Tobin watched as the kids babbled and smiled at their mum. She had a feeling that Christen would need calm and comfort today, even if she wouldn’t admit it. They stayed quiet and just relaxed for a good half an hour before Tobin spoke.

“You nervous?”

Christen shrugged. “Kinda? I know I can do it, but I feel like I am going to make so many mistakes. It has been a while, and I looked it up. I could be at 100 caps if I had played in the last year. I wish you were out there with me.”

“You are one of the best forwards I have ever seen Chris, that is why you are back in the squad. And if you do make a mistake, you can’t dwell on it. Just look forward to the next play. I wish I was out there too, but I’m not. I will hopefully get subbed in, but who knows? You will hear me from the sideline cheering you on regardless. And the boys will be there too. You will get too 100 caps, I promise.”

Tobin pulled Evan and Alexander towards her and sat them between her legs while Christen did the same with Michael. “These little guys will be in the stands with their Mums jerseys on with Aunt Carli, Uncle Brian, Uncle Bati, Aunt Perry and Uncle Serv. And at the end of the game they will be back in your arms, regardless.”

Christen nodded and re-centred herself. After a few more minutes chatting and cuddling, they slowly got themselves ready for lunch. They had four hours before they had to get on the bus, and they were going to have some family time. It had become a new tradition whether they were with the Thorns or the National Team. It was their way of having some private time and bonding before the world came into their view.

Tobin had strapped Alexander to her front because he was the biggest fidgeter and loved to be close to his Mama when they walked. It settled him down and Christen was amazed at how quickly Tobin could get the boy to settle. If his baby monitor went off in the middle of the night, Tobin was sent to get him back to sleep. Christen strapped Michael and Evan into the stroller. She pushed them along and the two boys were babbling away to each other. Christen loved being able to see them in front of her and watching them communicate.

The family left the hotel and went to the café down the street for a light lunch. By the end of the hour, Alexander had fallen asleep on Tobin’s chest and Michael was asleep in the stroller. Evan was fighting sleep so Christen strapped him into the stroller to rock him before they to returned to their rooms. Evan dozed off as soon as they started walking, so the mothers put all three boys down to nap in the crib back in their room.

The new parents took the time they had to have a nap themselves, only waking when they heard one of the boys stir about 90 minutes later. Christen got up and saw that Michael was awake, so she grabbed him from the crib and fed him. While she was doing that, Evan woke up and starting to squirm, so Tobin grabbed him and fed him as well. Alexander waited until his brothers had been fed, burped and changed before he woke up wanting attention. Tobin took the two boys who were almost ready to go and got them into their baby jerseys.

Michael was going to be representing Christen, with the number 23 PRESS on his jersey, while Evan was wearing the number 17 HEATH for Tobin. Alexander was going to be wearing Christens as well because it was her first game back.

Tobin and Christen made sure to always call Alexander by his full name. Any nicknames they tried just didn’t suit the baby, he was just an Alexander. It was the same with Michael. Nicknames just didn’t seem to flow off the tongue. 

It was 3.45pm and they were due on the bus at 4pm. They were handing the boys of too Servando and Bati, while Carli, Brian and Perry would join them later at the stadium. It was always hard to leave the boys, but Serv insisted they would be fine and pushed them out the door.

Tobin and Christen made their way out of the hotel, hand in hand and with headphones on. They had their own rituals that they followed once they got onto the bus, so this was one of the last times they would be this close to each other until warmup.

They didn’t listen when the reporters asked where the kids were, they just put their heads down and ignored them. Tobin went to sit next to Alex on the bus while Christen found Kelley. The ride through Cleveland wasn’t long and before they knew it they were off the bus and getting ready to play.

Christen got into her warmups before she sat in her cubby looking at photos of her family. It was something that she had always done, and slowly the photos had changed from ones of her dogs and sisters, to of Tobin. Then they changed to ones of Tobin and her kids. It was the same routine with different photos as her life went on.

Tobin saw her wife looking at the photos and just left her to be with a small smile on her face. She tucked herself into her cubby and listened to her pre-game playlist, getting into her zone.

Warm up went well and before they knew it was time to line-up in the tunnel. Tobin found Christen in the change rooms and hugged her close. “You will be fine. I love you, the boys love you. Go get them and have fun.” Tobin kissed her on the temple before going out to join the subs.

Christen got to the end of the line and held hands with her mascot. It was the pride game and the team were wearing special jerseys with rainbow numbers. It was a big game for everyone.

It was a tough game against China in Cleveland. They came out wanting to play physically, but the US kept control. Christen took a few minutes to get back up to pace, but after that she was pinging balls left and right. In the 35th minute she whipped in a perfect ball for Pinoe to head home to give them the lead. The team all swarmed the forward, who was jumping for joy. “What a ball, Chris! Go baby mama!”

Chris broke away from the group and turned to the bench. She could see her wife jumping for joy for her. She wasn’t able to get across to her but she smiled brightly, feeling much more confident in herself. Christen looked up at the family box and saw her kids being held up by their uncles while they cheered. She waved and blew them a kiss, which was of course caught on camera. (Instagram would blow up about it later.)

They got through the half and went back into the sheds. Tobin jumped on her wife when she got in the room, so happy for her. She held her tight and was whispering in her ear before Jill told them to break it up, much to the amusement of their teammates.

Jill gave them a few instructions and informed them of who would probably be subbing on when. Tobin was excited that she would be on for the last 30 minutes or so with Christen. They hadn’t played together in so long.

Unfortunately, just after Tobin went on, the Chinese equalized. They kept positive but were frustrated. Ashlyn pulled another save out not long after and the US quickly went up the other end. Christen got the ball at her feet and drove in from the sideline, before playing a 1-2 with Tobin. The ball bobbled and Christen felt it bounce of her shoulder. Tobin swung a foot at it and it dipped just under the bar. No one was sure how it went it but no one cared. The stadium erupted and the whole team came together to celebrate. Tobin held Christen a bit longer than anyone else, but they kept it professional. They did wave to their kids in the stands and blow them a few kisses, but they were allowed. Their Mum had just set their Mama up for a goal.

The game ended 2-1 to the USA and they were very happy. Christen and Tobin just held each other that bit longer in their celebrations before they went to shake hands with the Chinese team. Afterwards, they walked over the stands where Carli, Brian and Perry were standing with their boys.

“What happened to Bati and Serv? And how were the boys?” Tobin asked, slightly worried that something had happened.

“They found their wives and took them away before they tried to take one of the kids. The boys were angels. No problems whatsoever. Good game, Mama Press.” Carli said before she hugged the couple and handed over the boys.

Tobin chuckled. “Yea, Mama Press. I am proud of you.” Tobin kissed her on the cheek before grabbing Evan and Michael who were wide awake and babbling away. Brian handed Christen the sleeping Alexander before they went to walk around the stadium.

Christen and Tobin chatted a bit about the game as they walked, waving when they could. The boys in Tobins’ arms were enraptured by the sights at the stadium, but Alexander just slept away. He was due to wake up soon, but hopefully not while they were walking around.

The Heath-Press Family made their way to the middle of the pitch and sat down. Tobin put the wriggling boys down on their bellies for some tummy time before she lay down to face them. She spent a good five minutes making silly faces so they could laugh while Christen sat there holding Alexander close. He had woken up in his Mum’s arms and was content. Once he moved around a bit when he woke up and saw his brothers lying down with Mama, he wriggled to try and join them. Christen put him down carefully and then laid down next to Tobin and held her hand. The two adults then made funny faces together for their kids, uncaring of how silly they looked. Only wanting to hear their boys laugh.

Alex had held the team away, letting the family have their time to reflect together. They had come so far to get to this point, they deserved some time to enjoy it. They did take some cute photos but didn’t interfere.

The women only moved to pick up their kids when it started getting a bit chillier. The boys loved to snuggle with their Mums and there was no better time. Evan and Alexander fell asleep in Tobins arms quite quickly.

“Hey Chris? Do you think it is funny that everyone calls you Mama Press, when you have always wanted to be Mum? There is no way I am going to be able to be tough enough to say no to these faces to be Mum, and Mama or Ma has always suited me better.” Tobin asked, honestly wondering if her wife minded being called that.

“I love being Mama Press to the girls and Mal, but the boys will call me Mum. The girls can say what they want, our boys will know who is who. Besides, if you ever have to be bad cop, you will pull it off.” 

Tobin kissed Christen and held her close for a minute. “How do you feel about being back?” She asked after she kissed her again.

“It’s great, but this is still the best part of my night.” Christen kissed Tobin quickly before standing up with Michael. The kid didn’t want any part of letting her go after she had picked him up again. “I love soccer, and I love travelling doing what I love. But you, and these boys. You four are all I would need to be happy. We are just lucky that we can do both.”

Tobin pulled herself off the floor without using her hands because Evan and Alexander were sound asleep. She stood next to Christen and kissed her on the cheek. “We can both do both for as long as we can. Family and Football, what could be better?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Christen smiled widely and the family of five made their way towards the changerooms. Most of the girls had gotten showered and were already on the bus ready to go to the hotel. They found the triple stroller that Carli must have dropped off for them and put the boys in it. Christen got showered and changed first Tobin watched them and then they switched. Once Tobin was out of the shower and ready to go, they took the boys out towards the bus. Tobin ran ahead and pulled Mallory, Alex and Ali off the bus and carefully handed them a sleeping child while they sorted out the stroller and their gear. They put it all under the bus before they found Bati and Servando with the car. They handed off the precious cargo, strapped them into the car seats and promised to see them soon before they got back on the bus.

The bus right was loud and Christen was celebrated. They sang and danced, but as soon as they parked, Tobin and Christen ran straight of the bus to the car that Bati was standing next to. Servando had gone to get the stroller for them and by the time the team had disembarked the bus, the Heath-Press family was reunited and ready to go inside.

The team watched as the couple carefully rocked the boys who had woken up and were overall just an adorable family.

“Those two were just made to be Mum’s huh?” Pinoe asked. She could see how the couple interacted and the way they just moved around each other. They were comfortable and happy, able to be themselves in their relationship.

“Those two were made for each other, and those boys just complete them. You see their softness more often than not now.” Ashlyn stated. She had seen the changes in Tobin over the past 12 years and she was proud of how far she had come. “Let’s go over and congratulate Press again and then let them be. You can tell they just want to be by themselves tonight.” The team made their way over and hugged the couple and kissed the boys on the forehead. They helped them with their gear towards the elevator and wished them a goodnight. The family waved before the doors closed.

Kelley broke the comfortable silence of the group waiting for the elevator. “You reckon they will have more kids?”

Alex shrugged. “I have only ever overheard them talk about 3. But that was before the boys. Who knows, but hopefully this time they tell us that they are trying. I cannot take another worry. I honestly thought Tobin was sick.”

Ali nodded. “Same. But I don’t think they will. With everything that has happened, they won’t tell us incase something goes wrong. You aren’t meant to tell until the end of the first trimester.”

Mallory piped up then. “Who cares right now? They are happy and smiling and the boys are adorable. If anything changes, they will tell us when they are ready too.”

The next thing they knew the elevator was there and they all piled into it, reflecting on the day and the next steps.

“They won’t have another kid till after the 2020 Olympics. They want another World Cup too. I give them 3 years before they have another one.” Pinoe threw down the bet, and the elevator trip turned into a betting circle. Most bets were after the Olympics, but there were a few for between the World Cup and the Olympics. Whatever happens, they had years to find out. The main hope was that they were happy.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think?
> 
> I have a couple others i am working on for this universe, but i am a bit stuck. i'll work through it and post when i can! If you have any thoughts, let me know!!


End file.
